It is treated as an Advanced feature of the Windows File Explorer. The Encrypting File System (EFS) is built into the Professional and Enterprise versions of Windows 10.
How to encrypt files and folders with the Encrypting File System (EFS)
We’ll round out our coverage of Windows 10 encryption by taking a look at this new, flexible, easy-to-use file and folder encryption system. While we will be looking at all these options, you’ll really want to take a look at a new addition to the Windows 10 files and folders encryption scene: NordLocker. Any Windows 10 user, including those with the Home edition, can also use third-party apps such as 7-zip for file and folder encryption.īeyond these options, Microsoft Office apps have a basic file locking / encryption feature built in, as does Adobe Acrobat.
Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users have a built-in encryption tool called the Encrypting File System (EFS). Your options for encrypting files and folders on Windows 10 devices depend on which version of Windows 10 you have. Let’s start with… How to encrypt files and folders on Windows 10
Now that we’ve hit the basics, it is time for some specifics.
See our guide on the best password managers for the top recommendations and step-by-step information for good password management.
We’ve reviewed many options, including 1Password, LastPass, and many more. Well, if you lose or forget the password for accessing your encrypted files, then they’ll probably be gone for good. You need to be using a good password manager, along with good password hygiene. Password management and file encryptionīefore we dive into the details of file encryption, we need to make an important note on passwords. You can still apply folder level encryption and individual file encryption to an encrypted disk. If someone stole your laptop, or ripped the drives out of one of your servers, they would need to defeat the hard drive encryption to get any data at all. This kind of encryption is a good first line of defense in case of theft. To use a device with an encrypted hard drive you would need to enter the password or key when you logged on, or nothing on the disk would be accessible. Hard drive or disk encryption protects the entire drive at once. Note that storing a file in an encrypted folder doesn’t prevent you from also encrypting files individually. Give Sally only the password for her folder, and Jimmy only the password for his, and each can have their own private space on the same device. For example, you could create a different encrypted folder for each member of your family. Passwords or keys are assigned to the folder, not individual files.įolder encryption is a great organizational tool. This approach involves encrypting everything that is stored in a folder. You can also encrypt individual Microsoft Office files from within their apps, although this is better suited to casual person use than protection against serious adversaries. Windows 10 users can encrypt individual files using a tool like 7-zip. Individual file encryption is great for files you plan to share or store in the cloud. Now let’s talk about when to use the three types of encryption that you can use:Īs the name implies, individual file encryption refers to encrypting one file at a time. At the very least send it via a different email service than the one you will use for the file. Ideally give them the password over the telephone, a secure messaging app like Signal or Wickr Me. For example, if you plan to email them the file, it would be a big security risk to also email them the password.
With Windows 7 officially unsupported now, and Windows 8 best forgotten as fast as possible, this guide deals only with the Windows 10 operating system.Before we go further, here are a couple of points to keep in mind: That way, you’ll have a better sense of which type of encryption you will need for various situations. Each approach has its own benefits and drawbacks, so we’ll cover those too. In this guide we will show you ways to encrypt individual files, file folders (and all the files within them), even entire disk drives. Happily, as a user of Windows 10, you have numerous options for encrypting information.
Whether you need to send personal information to someone, or simply want to make sure that no one who gets access to your computer can see stuff you would rather keep private, encryption is the way to go. One of the best ways to protect your privacy is to encrypt important information on your computer.